Stop and smell the roses. Roses don’t last forever. The seasons change. The flowers fade. And if we don’t enjoy them while we can, we might miss out.

My mom’s dad passed away when I was just five. Shortly after his passing, a plaque appeared on the kitchen wall that read,

“Let us love one another with a little added tenderness for the days of life are short.”

I remember reading it probably every day as I ate my cereal. I don’t think I got it.

Until I had kids. Until Sarah died. Until my mother-in-law passed away. I more than get it now. Somedays it terrifies me.

FishBoy8 is wrestling with some of these ideas right now. For whatever reason, mortality, particularly my mortality has been on his mind. Anytime I leave the house without him, his heart starts to pound a little. I get quite a few more hugs than I would on a regular day. Somewhere, without us talking about it or experiencing any tragedy, he’s wrestling with the idea that life is short.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Live like life is short.

Stop and smell the roses. Roses don’t last forever. The seasons change. The flowers fade. And if we don’t enjoy them while we can, we might miss out. This is true for nature, our children, our relationships. Enjoy them!

It’s important that we remember the fleeting nature of this life and live like life is short. In doing so, we prioritize the important things — perhaps having better vision for what’s truly important — and put our efforts and time into the things and people we hold dear. It’s the best kind of “no regrets” living.

So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun. — Ecclesiastes 8:15

Living like life is short is a great way to stop and smell the roses.

The days are long, but the years are short. I don’t want to miss them! For more short and sweet ideas on how to stop and smell the roses, to enjoy the little things in life, check out my 31 Days to Smell the Roses series.

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Comments

Me too. As I’ve gotten older and have known more and more people who are passing away, it sinks in deeper and deeper. I try to remind myself often that although I can’t control how long people stay here, I can control how I show my love for them today. And the blessing of knowing God is that even when separation comes, we know it’s only temporary! What an encouraging thought when my mind wants to worry and wonder “what if”. Thank you for the reminder

My toddler runs to the door yelling “Mommy!” in a long drawn out voice every time I come home from leaving without her. To be fair, she does it for Daddy too It doesn’t matter if we just drove down to the store and have been gone 10 minutes, she does the same thing as she realizes that we have left and then come back. I’ve never thought about things that way, that they might be thinking we are never coming back when they do that. Makes me appreciate more why she might be doing that every time I walk through the door. Or, she’s just happy to see me…either way I will take it. My older one’s don’t always run to the door any more when I walk in it. Sometimes they will, but the times they do are rarer and fewer. I’ll admit, sometimes it drives me a little crazy when they do that…but it’s not going to any more. I’m going to cherish each time she does it, because I don’t know how long it will be before she grows out of it…and she is my last, and there won’t be another one doing that for another 20 years or so until there might be grandchildren. So I will hug her and love her as she’s screaming my name. She only has one of me, and I only have one of her Thank you for the reminder

Welcome to Life as MOM! I'm FishMama, chief cook and bottle washer around here. I have six kids under 18, and I've lived to tell the tale. Want to know how to make the most out of what you have where you are? You've come to the right place.

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